Vegan & Paleo-Friendly Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

I have such fond memories of first discovering Nutella, I was travelling abroad and my host had a jar of this chocolatey goodness in their kitchen. One taste, and I was overcome with emotion—I was angry, because why had no ever revealed this greatness to me before?! And I was exquisitely happy, because, of course, Nutella is amazing!

Fast forward 15 years to having a greater awareness of how bad refined sugar is for you, (not to mention the refined oils found in the regular stuff), and I found myself yearning for that Nutella experience. But I was at a loss as to how to make my dreams come true without the negative side effects of the real deal.

Enter: Paleo Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, a.k.a “better than Nutella”.

This vegan, paleo-friendly, naturally sweet chocolate hazelnut spread is the stuff dreams are made of! You can use it just like regular Nutella—on a sliced apple, on a piece of grain-free toast, or even just on a spoon!

So if you’ve been on the hunt for a vegan or paleo Nutella, you’ve GOT to give this try!

Paleo Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Ingredients

2 c hazelnuts (raw)

4 tbsp cacao powder

½ – ¾ c full fat coconut milk

⅓ cup coconut sugar

⅛ tsp stevia or monk fruit, to taste

1 tsp vanilla

⅛ tsp salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 350º. Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake 10-15 minutes, until fragrant and the oils begin to release (the nuts will start to get a little shiny).

Let the nuts cool slightly, then remove the skins. I like to toss them in a pillowcase and shake, rub, and roll the skin off. If you don’t have a pillowcase you’re willing to sacrifice to the kitchen, try rubbing the nuts between two dish towels to get the skins off.

Transfer the peeled nuts to a food processor fitted with an ‘S’ blade. Process until a smooth hazelnut butter is formed. This will take a few rounds of processing, stopping to scrape down the sides of the food processor, and processing again. It WILL come together, I promise!

When the hazelnut butter is smooth and runny, add the remaining ingredients and process just until combined.